Prize Recipient

Victor Rodriguez
University of Texas at Austin

Background:

My name is Victor Alonso Rodriguez. I was born in El Paso, TX, but was raised in Juarez, Mexico. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, a proud Longhorn.

Mathematics has always been a subject of interest to me,ever since elementary school. My passion for physics, however, was more of a self-discovery process. I remember looking through my dad's library and finding an old book that caught my attention, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Reading this book truly triggered my love of physics. I continued to learn physics on my own through high school, and then decided to become a Physics major in college. During these two years of studying physics at UT, my passion for the subject has definitely piqued. I never cease to be amazed by the ability of physics to explain the nature of the universe in such a general and elegant way. I plan to continue on to graduate school and earn my PhD. I am currently working with a professor in the field of particle physics, which I really enjoy. As of now, I aspire to become a theoretical physicist; however, I would like to continue exploring other fields and remain open to other possibilities.

Besides science, I am also very interested in philosophy, politics, and music. I also love playing soccer and playing my electric guitar. Lastly, I would like to thank the American Physical Society for the generous scholarship.